Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information

Weekids go to Cannes!

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At WKWSCI, we believe in realising your dreams and pushing creative boundaries.

In July 2017, a group of 10 Weekids attended the 64th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, making us part of a small group of Asian communication schools that participate in the well-reputed industry event that is sometimes dubbed the ‘Olympics of Creativity’.

Over eight days, these undergraduates learned from top-notch industry experts and immersed themselves in experiential marketing, developed a keen appreciation of creative thinking, and learnt what it takes to capture an audience from leaders in creative communication, brand owners and celebrities. It was a tiring but fun-packed schedule where students had the opportunity to network and hang out at the various hospitality tents hosted by media companies such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Oracle, and attend parties hosted by Baidu, Shutterstock and Cannes Young Lions. Other than the conference and fringe events, students also attended Happy Hour and Night School organised by the Roger Hatchel Academy in the evening.

In conversation with TBWA’s Global Chief Creative Officer Chris Garbutt about “The Craft of Authenticity”, one of the world’s greatest photographers, Platon, said that he focuses on capturing images that move and stimulate his audience. News reports note that Platon has photographed more world leaders than anyone in history!

Creativity after dark: Our students joined content strategist Jon Burkhart at Cannes Night School, where they picked up new creative strategies to create daring content and a few nerf dart bruises along the way!

One of today’s most influential fashion and portrait photographers, Mario Testino (right) likened fashion photography to advertising, because both require maintaining brand identity. While change is good, he emphasised that repetition is key for building brand identity.

Legacy brands keeping consumers hooked through creativity

Since 1939, adidas has never stopped reinventing itself. To remain relevant, the sportswear manufacturer always gives its people space to explore. adidas was joined by renowned personalities the brand works with – Alexander Wang, Stan Smith and Ferdinando Verderi. Alexander Wang encouraged the audience to constantly ask questions and challenge the status quo, to remain at the top of the creative game.

Up close and personal with LEGO’s Senior Global Director, Social Media and Search, Lars Silberbauer, who shared how LEGO reinvented itself through social media, and became the most powerful brand in the world by taking creative risks through innovative campaigns.

At a session by Burger King, our students learnt the secrets behind the brand’s bold, courageous and innovative marketing campaigns.

Sam Saunders, Chief Creative Officer of We Are Social (New York), talked about the purpose of social videos and how fans perceive such content. He also provided the ultimate cheat sheet for creating engaging, effective and creative social video content that ignites conversation and creates a sense of belonging.

At “Creativity in the Experience Age”, artificial intelligence researcher Kate Crawford delved into the technology’s social impact, and advised that AI needs to be screened and tested in this area.

At YouTube beach, our Weekids had the chance to experience an interactive Virtual Reality while enjoying a spectacular view of the beach!

An auditorium-sized karaoke room featuring lead singer of Duran Duran, Simon Le Bon. Audience members recorded the singing session on their phones, and emailed the recordings to Le Bon, for inclusion in his next track!!

At a Cannes Lions awards show, students were inspired by Grand Prix winners such as McCann New York (PR, Outdoor and Glass), Twitter in San Francisco (Outdoor), Burger King (Print & Publishing) and Boost Mobile (Promo & Activation).

Young Lions Simulated Assignment

For this assignment, WKWSCI collaborated with the Singapore Festival Representative, Mediacorp, for a simulated assignment based on the actual Young Lions brief and students chose from 3 categories – Cyber, Print or Film.

Students had stipulated timeframe within which they had to crack the brief and submit their creative or film. The judging was done by two WKWSCI faculty, Professor Charles Salmon and Ms Wong Pei Wen, as well as the Young Lions Gold winner from 2016, Ms Joanna Ortega from TBWA and Mr Rouhan Routroy, the Young Lions Cyber category judge for this year.

CyberUnder the Cyber category, students developed an integrated social media campaign within 24 hours of receiving a charity brief.

PrintThe print category saw students create a print ad in 24 hours, after receiving the brief from the client – a charity or public service organisation.

Film

Within 48 hours of receiving the brief from a charity or non-profit organisation, students came up with an original idea, filmed their footage and edited it into a captivating 60-second ad.